Electronic messages such as electronic mail, text messaging or Short Message Service (SMS) or voice mail (with or without video) that are delivered to a user's inbox are usually presented to the user in a textual list format. Thus, the messages appear to the user on a display as a list of consecutive items that can be manipulated. For instance, the user can open each item to read or listen to it, edit the item, delete the item or move it to a different folder or location for storage purposes.
The typical list of electronic messages is also designed to convey to the user information about certain attributes of each message. For example, in the case of electronic mail messages the list will show the originator of the message, the time at which the message was sent, its degree of importance and whether or not an attachment is present, among others. Color can be used to convey attribute information as well. In the case of voice mail messages the list can show the time at which a message was delivered and the caller, among others.
The presentation of electronic messages in a list format is not particularly user friendly. The user is required to focus his or her attention to each message item in the list in order to gather a general sense of what the message is all about. Thus, it would be highly desirable to provide a more intuitive electronic message visualization structure that communicates to a user information on electronic messages.